Refrigerator door



Feb. s, 1955 F. BARROERO REFRIGERATOR DOOR Original Filed Oct. 11, 1950 ATTORNEY United States Patent REFRIGERATOR DOOR Louis F. Barroero, San Leandro, Calif.

Continuation of abandoned application Serial No. 189,561, October 11, 1950. This application March 31, 1954, Serial No. 419,984

4 Claims. (CI. -35) The invention relates to a hinged refrigerator door providing a thermal seal on and around the inner face of its rim portion, and this application comprises a continuation of my copending application, Serial Number 189,561, filed October 11, 1950, now abandoned.

The primary object is to provide a refrigerator door of the character described which is arranged to provide a maximum degree of thermal insulation at its rim-sealing means.

Another object is to provide a glassed refrigerator door having its rim-seal means and pane-sealing and securing means provided in a particularly simple structural association.

A further object is to provide a particularly simple and effective thermally sealed-in mounting of a pane assembly in a glassed refrigerator door.

An added object is to provide an improved resiliently yielding sealing strip at the rear door face for providing a double-line seal thereat.

Yet another object is to provide a structure in which the various securing elements for its parts are consealed from the outside of the door.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth or be apparent in the following description of typical embodiments thereof, and in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of a closed door at an access opening to a refrigeration space provided by a cabinet or room.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken at the line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the elements at a corner of the rim portion of the door in mutually separated alignment for their progressive assembly to provide the present door structure.

Figure 4 is a section corresponding to that of Figure 2 and showing a modification of the structural combination of Figures 2 and 3.

The present door structure has been particularly designed for providing a sealed closure for a refrigeration space in such a manner that a cooling through the seal of the exterior of the refrigerator wall adjacent the door below the air temperature thereat is prevented, whereby to avoid the condensation of hygroscopic moisture on the wall face adjacent and around the closed door while increasing the efficiency of refrigeration in the refrigeration space. Such a condensation of moisture is to be particularly avoided in connection with the doors of refrigeration cabinets or boxes or rooms which are frequently opened, and particularly in connection with food display and service refrigerators having glassed doors arranged to be opened and shut by the public in the removal of food for its purchase; accordingly, the features of the present invention have been particularly disclosed as provided in the structure of a glassed refrigerator door.

As particularly illustrated, the features of my invention are shown as provided in the structure of a door 6 which is hinged to the front 7 of a refrigeration cabinet 8 as a closure means for an access opening 9 in the cabinet front. Within a continuous rim or frame portion 11 thereof, the door 6 is provided with a sight opening 12 at which a transparent panel 13 is mounted to permit a viewing therethrough of the interior of the cabinet for which the door is provided. The present door frame portion 11 is of one-piece angle cross-section having a continuous flange portion 14 transverse to the plane of the door and providing the peripheral edge of the door. The other flange 15 of the frame 11 defines a common plane at the front of the door, with the free inner edge 16 of the flange 15 bounding theopening 12 of the door front. The free edge portion of the peripehral flange 14 has its outer face rounded and defines the plane of the rear door face, and the frame edge is rounded at the juncture of the flanges 14 and 15.

As particularly shown in Figures 2 and 3, a continuous flange or rib 17 extends integrally and transversely from the frame flange 15 toward the rear of the door for about half the door thickness and in outwardly spaced relation from the flange edge 16 to provide a planar seat area 18 at the inner flange face between the rib edge 16 and the rib 17. The space defined between the flanges 14 and 15 and the rib 17 is arranged to receive a continuous core or fillet 19 of wood, or other thermally nonconductive material which may drivingly receive nails or pins or screws or similar fastening elements, it being noted that the frame 11 is formed of metal, as comprising a relatively rigid heat conductive material which will not readily receive a nail or screw. The installed core 19 complementarily fits the space which receives it, has its rear face 20 lying in the plane of the inner door side and has its inner face 21 which engages the rib 17 stepped to receive the rib whereby its face portion inwardly of the rib-is flush with the rib face which extends from the outer edge of the seat 18. At spaced points therealong, the rib 17 is provided with transverse holes 22 through which suitable nails of pins 23 may be driven into the mounted core 19 to secure the core within the frame space which it complementarily fits. When the frame element 11 is of metal, it may be provided with a baked enamel or metallic plating finish on its exposed faces.

It will now be noted that a sealing strip 25 of resilient rubber or the like is mounted on the core 19 at its rear face 20 for its sealing pressure engagement with the cabinet front 7 around its opening 9. As particularly indicated, the sealing strip 25 is molded to have a flat base portion 26 having cylindrically curved portions 27 of the strip extending integrally from its side edges and toward each other to normally dispose free edges of the portions 27 in slightly spaced relation and opposite the base portion 26. Staples 23 are applicable as a nailing means through the base portion at spaced points therealong, and preferably opposite the spaces of the portions 27, for securing the sealing strip to the core 19. When a present sealing strip 25 is pressed against a cabinet front wall,

7 the strip portions are flattened transversely of its base to provide a double-line seal for the door thereat, the flattening of the strip 25 being facilitated by the fact that the free edges of its portions 27 may move together when the strip is under sealing compression, the heat-sealing action being improved by longitudinally fluting the exteriors of the portions 27 to the indicated degree. It is important to note that it is the mounting of the sealing strip 25 on the thermally non-conductive core 19 which insures the desired thermal seal thereat by reason of the effectively large thermally non-conductive gap between the metallic door frame and the metallic cabinet front.

While any suitable heat-insulated panel 13' may be sealedly secured against the frame seat 18, the present panel 13 comprises a transparent pane assembly such that the interior of the cabinet may be viewed through it when the door is closed. As particularly illustrated, the panel 13 comprises front and rear panes 31 and 32 of like rectangular outline which are spaced by a continuous spacing member 33 engaged between them near their peripheries. Since the panel 13 is to provide a maximum degree of door insulation thereat, the continuous spacer 33 is preferably in sealed relation to the panes 31 and 32 to provide a dead-air space 34 within the panel, with the air preferably dry and rarified. Such multi-pane assemblies are now on the market, with the spacer 33 formed of a lead composition, and are not per se a subject of present invention. Also, referring generally to the structure of a panel 13, the same is essentially an insulated portion of the door structure, and need be transparent only if the refrigeration space of the associated cabinet is to be viewed through the door.

It will now be noted that a panel 13 is shaped and arranged for a disposal of the outer edge portion of its front pane 31 opposite the seat 18 but is smaller than the sealing space to provide clearance about it. As is particularly brought out in Figures 2 and 3, wedge members 35 are provided for forcible insertion between the periphery of the rear pane 32 and the core face 21 for centering the installed panel with respect to the seat 18, the installation of said panel being arranged to be effected under a transverse sealing pressure against a continuous sealing gasket 36 of a suitable mastic material interposed between the front pane 31 and the seat 18. The relations are essentially such that a driving of the wedges 35 into place will urge the pressure engagement of the panel with the gasket 36 for fluid-sealing the jointure thereat. In practice, the rear ends of the installed wedges 35 are cut off, or disposed at or forwardly of, the plane of the inner face of the rear pane 32.

When a panel 13 has been positioned in the described manner, a clamping strip 37 of generally quarter-round form is engaged against the back of the panel at its edge and is secured in place by the toe-nailing application of nails 38 obliquely through it into the fillet or core 19 for effecting a panel-clamping fixing of the strip in place with its rear side extending from the rear plane of the door. It will be understood that the present manner of securing a panel 13 in its place permits any unequal thermal expansion effects in the door assembly, as between the panel and door frame, and thereby avoids any damaging distortive strains within the door structure. The sealing strip 25 will usually be mounted on the core 19 after the clamping strip 37 has been fixed in place, it being noted that the base 26 of the strip 25 is shown as slightly overlapping the strip 37.

By reference to the modified embodiment of Figure 4, it will be noted that the front flange 15 of the frame 11' of a door 6' lacks the core-retaining rib 17 of the first embodiment, and that a fillet member 19' corresponding to the member 19 has an inner flat face 21' which defines the outer end of the seat portion 18 of the front flange 15' of the frame. In this embodiment, the member 19' is arranged to be secured within the frame space by screws 23' extending through the flange 15' from its outer face, whereby the heads of screws 23' so applied are visible at the front face of the door, it being understood that the provision and fillet-securing use of the rib 17 in the first embodiment effects a desirable concealment of the means by which the member 19 is fixed within the frame 11. Having a door frame 11' of the present form with a member 19 installed within it, the assembly of Figure 4 may be provided by applying a mastic gasket 36 to the seat 18' and positioning a panel 13 against the gasket 36, operatively inserting wedges 35 about the panel, nailing a clamping strip 37 to the member 19' to sealedly seat the panel 13 with respect to the seat 18, and attaching a sealing strip 25 along the rear face of the thermally nonconductive member 19 by the nailing use of staples 28 or other fastening elements.

From a consideration of the two disclosed embodiments of the refrigerator door structure of my invention, it will be understood that the thermally non-conductive fastenerreceiving core or fillet strips 19 or 19' are directly utilized for the double purpose of mounting sealing strips on the door back at its rim and sealedly securing the panel 13 to the frame of the door structure, both in particularly simple and effective manners. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that, except at the inner edge line of the peripheral door flange 14 or 14', all metallic door parts are arranged to be further from the opposed cabinet face than the core 19 or 19' when the door is closed to provide the thermal and air seal at the special sealing strip 25; in this manner, any heat exchange by radiation between the metallic door frame and the cabinet front is negligible.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the present refrigerator door will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains. While I have described the principle of operation, to gether with arrangements which I now consider to comprise preferred embodiments thereof, I desire to have it understood that the showings are primarily illustrative, and that such changes and developments may be made, vi'hen desired, as fall within the scope of the following c arms.

I claim:

1. In a hingedly mounted refrigerator door, a rigid frame of thermally conductive material comprising a continuous rim portion of angle section having one side thereof defining the door front and the other side defining solely the peripheral door edge, a flange extending integrally and transversely rearwardly from the front rim portion in inwardly spaced relation to the door edge portion and cooperative therewith and the front rim portion to define a continuous space having a fully open rear side, a thermally non-conductive fillet member occupying said rim space and providing the rear door face thereat, means directly and fixedly securing the fillet member to and against and comprising the sole means for retaining the member in said rim space, and a thermally non-conductive resilient sealing strip directly mounted solely on the fillet member at the rear face thereof and providing a sealing rib extending transversely rearwardly from the door as the sole means for sealing the closed door thereat.

2. In a hingedly mounted refrigerator door, a rigid frame of heat-conductive material comprising a continuous rim portion of angle section having one side portion thereof defining the door front having an interior sight opening and the other side portion defining the peripheral door edge, a continuous flange extending integrally and transversely and rearwardly from an intermediate longitudinal line of the front rim portion in inwardly spaced relation to the door edge portion and in outwardly spaced relation to the edge of the sight opening and cooperative with the door edge and front rim portions of the frame to define a continuous space having an open rear side, a thermally non-conductive fillet member fittedly engaged in said rim space in engagement with the flange side nearest the door edge and providing a planar rear rim face including the rear edge of the door-edge portion of the frame in its plane, a fillet-retaining means engaging the fillet member solely through said flange, a continuous resilient sealing strip of thermally non-conductive material mounted on the fillet member at the rear face thereof as the sole means for sealing the closed door thereat, a transparent panel sealedly engaged behind and against the front side portion of the rim between the flange and the edge of the sight opening, and a thermally non-conductive retaining strip fixed solely to the fillet member and operative between it and the panel for securing the panel in its operative position with respect to the sight opening.

3. In a hingedly mounted refrigerator door, a rigid frame of heat-conductive material comprising a continuous rim portion of angle section having one side thereof defining the door front having an interior sight opening and the other side portion defining the peripheral door edge, a flange of uniform width extending transversely and rearwardly from the front rim portion in inwardly spaced relation to the door edge portion and in outwardly spaced relation to the edge of the sight opening and cooperative with the door edge portion and the front rim portion to define a continuous channel space having an open rear side, a thermally non-conductive fillet member fittedly engaged in said rim space and providing a planar rear rim face rearwardly of the rear flange edge, a filletretaining means engaging the fillet member solely through said flange. a transparent closure panel sealedly engaged behind and against the front side portion of the rim between the flange and the edge of the si ht openin and a thermallv non-conductive retaining strip enga ing and directly fixed to the fillet member rearwardly of the rear flange edge and operative to secure the panel in its operative position with respect to the si ht opening.

4. A structure in accordance with claim 2 provided with wedge elements operative between the panel edge and the flange for generally centering the panel in its place.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,529,093 Stewart Mar. 10, 1925 2,263,063 Allen Nov. 18, 1941 2,617,159 Leighton Nov. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 147,083 Switzerland May 31, 1931 

